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If you’ve been patiently waiting to buy a robot vacuum for your home, one of Engadget’s favorites is on sale for Black Friday. Amazon has discounted the Shark AI Ultra by 50 percent to $300. With the price cut, the AI Ultra is only $5 more than it was for Prime Day in July. What’s more, the model that’s on sale comes with a docking station that can store up to 60 days, instead of 45 days, of dirt and debris.

As mentioned, the Shark AI Ultra is one of Engadget’s favorite robovacs; in fact, it’s the model our reviewer thinks most people should buy. The AI Ultra offers reliable cleaning performance, accurate in-home mapping and an app that makes it easy to get the most out of your new vacuum.

Another consideration is the AI Ultra comes with a base station that features a bagless design. In our view, that’s one of the primary reasons to buy Shark’s robovac over competing models. While some of the AI Ultra’s rivals will cost you less upfront, over the lifetime of one of those devices you may end up spending more due to their potential reliance on proprietary garbage bags.

The AI Ultra is also great if you value a vacuum that’s quiet. In our testing, Shark’s model produced significantly less noise than some of the other robovacs Engadget tested. It also did a commendable job of avoiding cat toys and other obstacles, with an object detection feature that allows the robovac to detect things as small as four inches. As long as you don’t need a built-in mop, the Shark AI Ultra is a great purchase, especially at $300 off.

Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/sharks-excellent-ai-ultra-robot-vacuum-is-half-off-for-black-friday-120022146.html?src=rss 

If you’ve been curious to try Meta’s Smart Glasses but their $329 price has put you off from buying a pair, now is a great time to take the plunge; Amazon has discounted a handful of the Wayfarer models by 20 percent and is offering a $90 promotional credit until November 30. Combining the two deals together, it’s possible to buy the glasses for just over $173.

Included in the sale are the Matte Black and Shiny Caramel models, which feature transition lenses. You can save a bit of money by going for a pair with polarized lenses, but if you want to use your new smart glasses indoors, your best bet is to spend a bit more for one of the two colorways mentioned above.

Engadget Senior Editor Karissa Bell reviewed the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses in 2023, awarding them a score of 85 at the time. Compared to Meta’s original Ray-Ban Stories glasses, she found the newer wearable was a more polished product. Not only does the new device feature a slimmer frame and charging case, but Meta also managed to improve audio and camera quality. Additionally, the option to livestream to either Instagram or Facebook makes the Meta smart glasses feel genuinely more useful.

Earlier this year, the company released a substantial software update that greatly improved the capabilities of the wearable’s Meta AI. For instance, Meta added a feature that allows users to look at something in their surroundings and ask the software to send a reminder about it. The company also made the AI more conversational. Considering Meta AI was one of the weaker features of the smart glasses when they first arrived in 2023, the update makes it easier to recommend the wearable. As long as you feel like you’ll get enough use out of the Meta Smart Glasses to justify their price, it’s hard to imagine finding a pair for less than they’re on sale for right now.

Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/wearables/metas-ray-ban-smart-glasses-are-20-percent-off-for-black-friday-110053946.html?src=rss 

Canada’s antitrust watchdog is suing Google to force the breakup of the company’s ad tech unit. In a statement published Thursday, during the US Thanksgiving holiday, the Competition Bureau said a “thorough” investigation had found that Google had abused its dominant position in programmatic web advertising to “maintain and entrench its market power.”

Specifically, the watchdog has accused Google of giving its own tools preferential access to online ad inventory. The Competition Bureau alleges the company also took a financial hit on some transactions in an effort to disadvantage rival platforms, and that it even went so far as dictating the terms by which its own customers could do business with competing ad tech companies.

Among other remedies, the Competition Bureau is seeking to force Google to sell two of its ad tech tools. The agency also wants the company to pay a penalty for its behavior.

Google did not immediately respond to Engadget’s request for comment. In a statement it shared with Reuters, Google said the complaint “ignores the intense competition where ad buyers and sellers have plenty of choice.” The tech giant added it is looking forward to arguing its case in court. “Our advertising technology tools help websites and apps fund their content, and enable businesses of all sizes to effectively reach new customers,” Dan Taylor, vice-president of Global Ads at Google, said separately.

“The Competition Bureau conducted an extensive investigation that found that Google has abused its dominant position in online advertising in Canada by engaging in conduct that locks market participants into using its own ad tech tools, excluding competitors, and distorting the competitive process,” said Matthew Boswell, Canada’s Commissioner of Competition. 

“Google’s conduct has prevented rivals from being able to compete on the merits of what they have to offer, to the detriment of Canadian advertisers, publishers and consumers. We are taking our case to the Tribunal to stop this conduct and its harmful effects in Canada.”

The case comes as Google attempts to fend off a separate attempt by the US Department of Justice to break up the company’s ad business. The two sides made their closing arguments in that case on Monday, and a decision could be announced as early as next week.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/canadas-competition-bureau-sues-to-break-up-googles-ad-business-030032969.html?src=rss 

Amazon won’t need to pay the European Union €250 million ($263 million) in back taxes. On Wednesday, the bloc’s executive branch said it was closing three separate state aid investigations, including one involving Amazon. The decision ends one of the company’s longest-running legal sagas.

In 2017, the European Commission found that, from 2006 to 2014, Amazon had used an operating company in Luxembourg to pay substantially less tax to the European Union. The shell company had no offices or staff, and was, according to the Commission, used solely by Amazon to lower its tax bill. By the Commission’s estimate, the e-commerce giant avoided taxation on three quarters of all the profit it made from online sales in the EU during that period.

In 2021, however, Amazon won an appeal against the ruling. Although the company changed its tax structure following the investigation, it argued at the time that the Commission’s decision was full of “methodological errors.” It also said the payments were legal per international tax principles, an argument Europe’s second-highest court agreed with after finding Amazon’s structure didn’t confer it an advantage over other companies. Subsequently, the court ordered the Commission’s decision annulled.

With this week’s announcement, the Commission said it was “taking into account the guidance of the EU Courts” in closing the case against Amazon. Amazon did not immediately respond to Engadget’s comment request.

While the end of its case against Amazon is a setback for the European Commission, earlier this year the body won a decisive victory against Apple. In September, Europe’s highest court ordered the tech giant to pay back a €13 billion ($14.4 billion) tax break from Ireland that was found to be illegal in 2016.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/european-commission-ends-state-aid-case-against-amazon-with-no-tax-payout-004438602.html?src=rss